Professor Aaron McKindy
November 26, 2006 8:04 AM
Just because it seems to be tradition... by Professor Aaron McKindy
The Opening Feast had gone rather well. His first acquantaince with any amount of wizarding society in a decade or so, and nothing had exploded, or even been mildly singed. Aaron had found it surprisingly easy to keep his temper, as well. His new colleagues were almost nothing like the stuffy diplomats and business men that were always attending McKindy or Demarco family dinners. His Grandfather Demarco had a special flair for only inviting those most likely to bore you to death or incite a riot. And of course, as one of his father's heirs, attendance was mandatory.Aaron strolled through the Labyrinth Gardens, examining the complex charmwork appreciatively. He shouldn't get lost--his memory was rather good--so Aaron was free to enjoy the beautiful morning. He was dressed much less formally than last night, although he was still wearing robes. He hadn't had time to unpack much more than his classroom last night due to his late arrival and the Feast, so Aaron had just grabbed whatever was on top of his trunk this morning and thrown it on. The end result was more colour cordination than had been seen on him in quite awhile.
Pink bubble top hat still on his head, Aaron now wore sweeping crimson robes as well. These robes had been charmed to display an ever moving Chinese Fireball outlined in silver, though, making them much more interesting than the dull robes of last night. He hoped that the combined mystery of his wardrobe and classes would keep his students interested. Aaron firmly believed that charms were a life skill.
He pulled out his wand and tapped a nearby statue in curiosity. It seemed to have some sort of spell on it, but he wasn't quite sure what. Aaron became quite involved in unravelling the charm. So involved, in fact, that he didn't even notice somebody appear behind him until they tapped him on the shoulder.
Startled, Aaron turned around and looked at the newcomer, the delicate charm he had been working flying apart at his inattention.\n\n
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Professor Aaron McKindy
Just because it seems to be tradition...
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Professor Aaron McKindy
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Professor Deck
November 26, 2006 9:24 PM
And we mustn't break with that, eh? *eyes bubble hat* by Professor Deck
Deck had rather been hoping to start this new year off on as good a foot as he had his last--though, admittedly, it was hard to top becoming embroiled in a Pecari vs. Aladren snowball fight. And directly afterward, he'd happened upon Tarquin and his boyfriend Danny out here, in the Labyrinth Gardens.It seemed that Twitch had decided to give Deck the eventful new-year kick-off that he'd been wanting. The blasted beast had decided to "help" Deck unpack, gotten his head stuck in a rather large glove, and then whipped out of his quarters, caterwauling and running around frantically. The now fully-grown cat had managed to dodge Deck's frustrated Impedimenta skilfully, and last the professor had seen of him, he was zooming out of the school itself and into the gardens, running into everything in his path and meowing frantically.
Which was why Declan Chatterjee was currently scouring the Labyrinth Gardens for a glove-bedecked cat. "Twitch," he cooed. "Twitchy! I'm not going to hurt you, you ruddy beast!" he hissed as he lifted up a few low-lying branches to peer under a bush.
He didn't find a cat there, but he did spy the hem of a rather brilliantly colored set of crimson robes. Deck lowered the branches and straightened, raising his eyebrows as it became obvious that the color was not the unusual part of this ensemble. He recognized the bubble hat from the night before, though.
"Professor McKindy, right?"
He got no response; the wand kept moving, the bubblehat bobbing as the new professor performed some sort of magic on a nearby statue. "McKindy?" Deck tried again, stepping closer. Still, no response. He shook his head and laughed breathily, amused. He stepped forward again and tapped the other man smartly on the shoulder.
The new Charms professor whirled, his spellwork unravelling. Deck winced at that last part. "Sorry... didn't mean to... no, I did mean to distract you, actually. Just not to ruin your work." He felt his cheeks heating up a little bit, and not for the first time wished he shared his half-sister's Indian complexion, rather than his Irish pallor. "You haven't seen a cat wearing a glove run through here, have you? I seem to have lost mine."\n\n
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Professor Deck
And we mustn't break with that, eh? *eyes bubble hat*
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Professor Deck
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Professor McKindy
November 26, 2006 9:43 PM
It's so much more fun when we keep it, though by Professor McKindy
It was the Astronomy professor, wasn't it? Declan. Yes. That was it. Declan Chatterjee. The one in the yellow robes.Realising that he had been staring blankly at the man, Aaron quickly recovered, which was definitely more than could be said for Declan, who seemed to be babbling rather interestingly about some sort of cat. Or glove. Aaron wasn't quite sure which.
"No, it's fine," he replied to the rather garbled semi-apology about his spell. "I was just looking at the spellwork on the statue. It was nothing major. And I'm afraid I've seen neither a cat nor a glove running through here." A pause, and a quick, sidelong examination of the other man, who appeared to be turning slightly pink. Brilliant. First real day at work, and already he was embarassing his colleagues. Aaron smiled at the Astronomy professor. "I would be happy to help you look, though,"
Suddenly, and strangely, Aaron became very aware of his gaudy apperance. He hoped he wouldn't botch relations this soon in his re-entrance to the wizarding world, and for many pureblooded and Muggleborn wizards and witches, an elaborate wardrobe was an excellant way to do so. The purebloods tended to become offended, the Muggleborns intimidated. Sincerely hoping that Declan would be neither, he pocketed his wand and waited for a response.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
It's so much more fun when we keep it, though
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Deck
November 26, 2006 10:18 PM
Depends on the tradition, in my experience. by Professor Deck
Declan felt himself flushing darker as McKindy stared at him. As the other professor followed this performance with a quick absolution and explanation, however, he was relatively certain that he hadn't been completely incomprehensible, which was, as his half-sister was wont to remind him, the first step towards successful communication with other human beings. Of course, at this point Deck usually whalloped her with the closest non-lethal object at hand, so her advice never got much further--which was, at the moment, a distinct disadvantage.Deck settled for grinning, which gave him an unsettling case of deja vu--just the night before, he'd teased the young Divinations professor about frightening the students away with just such an expression. Fan-bloody-tastic, he thought, trying to coax the slightly manic grin into a more relaxed, easygoing expression.
"Help? Yes, thanks. Much obliged. It's gray and rather tatty--the cat, I mean. The glove's blue, I believe," Declan said, smiling awkwardly and uncomfortably aware of the fact that he sounded like an idiot. "Last I saw, it--he--was headed that way. Twitch. The cat."
Oh, shut up, you great lump.
"Fantastic hat, by the way."
Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, Deck's last scrap of sense took a human form and slapped one hand to its brow, shaking its head in surrender.\n\n
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Professor Deck
Depends on the tradition, in my experience.
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Professor Deck
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Professor McKindy
November 27, 2006 5:49 AM
Well, this tradition seems to be fairly useful, at least. by Professor McKindy
Oh great. Simply marvelous. Declan seemed to be turning an increasingly deeper shade of pink, which implied that he, Aaron, was doing an absolutely miserable job of making the man feel more at ease. You would think he had been raised in complete isolation from the general human race instead of as a future politician. Although at this rate, he was rather glad he hadn't pursued that career--his own cheeks were starting to go a bit pink as well.And then Declan began grinning madly. It reminded him slightly of that very young (but fairly pretty) Divinations professor from yesterday. What had been her name? N something. He frowned. This was beyond odd. Aaron usually had a near perfect recollection of names and faces, something that seemed to be flying out the window just when he needed it most.
Luckily, though, (or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it), Declan seemed to be having equal trouble communicating normally. Unless this was normal for him. Aaron muttered under his breath in Italian, and was a bit astonished at his reaction. At least he could speak coherently enough, for the most part. He could deal with the comperable spontainity of his actions and make them seem planned, so long has he retained his power of coherent speech and thought.
Aaron had started off in the general direction that Declan was pointing in and considering the possibilities of yelling "Here kitty, kitty, kitty", when the other man said something about his hat.
"Thanks, Declan," he grinned, turning. "It scares some people away, at times." Which implied that the other man was one of those people. Coherency? It seemed to be mildly overrated these days. "Anyway, I've not had much practise with cats in general. I had sheepdogs, myself. My brother had a cat, but they avoided me as much as possible. The mothers would always try and add the cat to their puppies, and Dante--the cat--didn't like that much."
Since when did he babble? Euegh. Perhaps he should have stayed to unpack after all.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
Well, this tradition seems to be fairly useful, at least.
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Deck
November 30, 2006 7:46 AM
Fair enough, then. by Professor Deck
Deck started led the way in the general direction Twitch had taken, walking a few yards away from his fellow professor for better scanning purposes, but still within easy earshot. In fact, he found himself looking at this Aaron McKindy (out of the tail of his eye, of course) more than he was checking for gray fur. Giving himself a little mental shake--really, the fellow was odd, but that was no reason to let this job go on forever--and went down on his knees, peering under yet another shrubbery.As McKindy finished the story about his brother's unfortunate cat, Deck couldn't help but laugh--and couldn't think of anything to say. Ten points to the socially awkward astronomer, Michael would've said, giving Deck that confused little smirk. Stop being such a prat, Declan. That little addition was courtesy of his own mental voice, which had come to sound freakishly close to that of his sister over the years.
As his inner conversations died down, he realized not much had been said over the last minute or so, and that the fault (and hope of redemption) lay entirely on his side. "Uhm..." Oh, great. Conversation. He usually made a complete arse of himself here--he'd only been incredibly lucky with Tarq and Danny last year. They'd gotten along brilliantly from the very beginning. Unlike this fellow in his bubblehat, who was strangely intimidating to the usually carefree astronomy professor.
"Uh," he repeated, straightening and turning to face McKindy, his own face slightly contorted in an expression of bemusement. "Good holiday, then?"
Oh Merlin. Note to self: find non-lethal object. Hit self over head. Rinse and repeat.\n\n
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Professor Deck
Fair enough, then.
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Professor Deck
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Professor McKindy
November 30, 2006 5:49 PM
I'm not running out of title ideas. Truly, I'm not. by Professor McKindy
Aaron felt his face heat up further as Declan seemed at a loss for conversation. He had this odd feeling in the back of his head that it was his fault, somehow, which was quite embarassing. This was too out of control. Following the other professor's example, Aaron ducked down to 'examine' the space behind a statue for the cat. Only half thinking about the task of finding Declan's cat, Aaron concentrated on calming himself down as he 'looked' behind the statue.When he reappeared, Aaron's face had returned to its normal shade of light tan, he could recall the Divinations professor's name, and he felt able to control his babbling. A bit worried he had missed something Declan said, Aaron was more than a bit relieved when the other man turned to face him and asked him how his holiday was. Obviously the Astronomy professor had been doing something while he had been recomposing himself.
"I didn't really get one this year, I'm afraid," Aaron replied, then with a carefully calculated expression of slight distaste, continued. "I was working as the assistant librarian at a Muggle primary school. Not my first choice of occupation, obviously, but my family thought it would help things for me get a look at" again, slight expression of distaste, "some Muggle culture. I hope you enjoyed yours, though."
Aaron had a healthy respect for Muggles. After living among them for years, his astonishment that they could manage without even the slightest bit of magic stunned the pureblood. No other pureblood he knew thought the same, though, so it was much safer to play things out like this. In all honestly, he did retain some disdain for Muggles, though he had taken long strides in overcoming this ancestral predjedice.
Unless--oh no.
Here he was, assuming Declan was pureblood. Perhaps because he had taken the hat relatively in stride. Perhaps it was just the other man's manner. But whatever it was...what if he was wrong? Aaron's facial features remained outwardly uneffected by his realisation, waiting for Declan's reaction to determine whether he had to apologise or continue onwards.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
I'm not running out of title ideas. Truly, I'm not.
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 01, 2006 1:03 PM
Could have fooled me. by Professor Powell
The first few weeks are always the worst; it will get better. Sadi had been repeating this to herself over and over again since the beginning of the new year, Sadi’s second year teaching at Sonora.Having made the decision to finally give up her field work and settle down to an occupation focused in one location, Sadi still wasn’t sure whether she had made the right choice. She did enjoy teaching, and was passionate about her subject. The students, for the most part, were pleasant, and some were very promising. The only real downside to her job, Sadi reflected, was that it was lonely. Often she found herself shut in her empty classroom, wishing she had some company. This year, though, Sadi had decided to make more of an effort. She was sure that her fellow staff members were perfectly amiable people, who could perhaps offer reasonable company in the months while Sadi was at Sonora and away from her family.
Sadi knew that several of the teachers liked to stroll around the gardens at their leisure. Being as fond of the outdoors as she was, Sadi had also visited the grounds frequently, but had kept to quieter, more secluded haunts to enjoy the serenity alone. This year, though, she had decided to walk the paths of the labyrinth, in the hope that she might spy a colleague and strike up a conversation. She wasn’t sure how difficult that would be – Sadi wasn’t necessarily shy, she just had some trouble knowing what to say to people she didn’t know very well.
It was with some surprise, however, when Sadi rounded a couple of corners and found not just one, but two of her colleagues: the astronomy professor, Chatterjee, and the other Sadi assumed was the new charms professor, McKindy. They seemed to be mid conversation, but both had dirt on their knees. Sadi wondered what had been going on.
“Good day, gentlemen,” Sadi greeted them.
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Professor Powell
Could have fooled me.
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Professor Powell
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Professor Deck
December 01, 2006 8:24 PM
Speaking of fools... by Professor Deck
Deck relaxed a little as McKindy began to speak, apparently not finding anything too incredibly awkward with Declan's conversational skills, no matter what that little Michael-voice said. Then, of course, he actually listened to the other man's words, and visibly stiffened, mouth going rigid as the Great Wall of China and eyes opening wide."Muggle," the other man sneered. "Muggle culture."
Suddenly Deck couldn't help but remember how one of his first friends at Hogwarts had sneered when the young Irish boy boasted of his much-adored Muggle stepfather, who was not only a "Pakki," but also a "Muggle." Deck had learned his first hex the next day--and was sorely tempted to turn his wand on this fellow now. While typically a very passive, cheerful man, Deck was also incredibly protective of his own--and as one American friend had once said, Aaron McKindy was now cruisin' for a bruisin'.
Luckily, before Deck could give up entirely on wrestling down his temper, they were interrupted. Divine intervention on his part, Deck thought, eyes narrowed.
"Wotcher, Sadi," he said, greeting the newly arrived professor. "You haven't seen a gray cat with a glove on its head, have you? We were just looking for him." His eyes slid involuntarily to McKindy, and narrowed even further. He always had been awful at hiding his emotions.
Do not kill your fellow professors, Declan. It really isn't very polite.\n\n
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Professor Deck
Speaking of fools...
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Professor Deck
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McKindy
December 01, 2006 9:39 PM
You called? by McKindy
Aaron's face didn't change from its vaguely friendly expression as he saw Declan react to his words. Negatively. He seemed to be on a steady path to earning the continual animosity of the Astronomy professor, which somewhat upset him. Aaron didn't particularly enjoy confrontation, although he was rather good at all manner of curses and hexes, minor on up. An apology was definitely in order at this point, judging from the other man's very expressive features.Unfortunately, at that moment, another professor appeared. He couldn't quite remember seeing her the night before, although that didn't mean anything. Quite a few new faces had appeared too far down the table for proper introductions, and the other side of the table had seemed rather immersed in their own topics of discussion. Aaron couldn't recall a name for the face either, and as he seemed to have regained at least partial control of his mental abilities, he was probably safe in saying that this professor--Sadi, Declan called her, narrowing his eyes at Aaron again--had not met him.
Removing his top hat with a sweeping arm motion and bowing to the new professor, he introduced himself. "Good morning, m'lady. I'm Aaron McKindy, the new Charms professor. I don't believe we've met." Aaron replaced his hat, looked at Declan again, refrained from wincing, then made a decision. "If you will excuse me a moment, I would be absolutely delighted to properly make your acquantaince."
At that point, Aaron grabbed Declan by the arm and drew him aside, speaking quietly and earnestly. "I do apologise for that. Honestly. I hope I didn't offend you too greatly."
Aaron's other hand remained in his pocket, gripping his wand. While the apology was sincere, if less than polished, he wasn't about to risk Declan hexing him without being at least partially prepared.
OOC: *eyes post* I'm not quite sure whether that constitutes writing for anybody. If it does, consider this my apology for relative incoherency and other such crimes. \n\n
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McKindy
You called?
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McKindy
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Professor Deck
December 03, 2006 10:43 AM
As a matter of fact, I did. by Professor Deck
Declan continued to wrestle down his anger as McKindy greeted Sadi Powell with a sweeping (and overdramatic) gesture. Then the impertinent fellow looked once more at Deck, made his apologies to Sadi, and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out of easy earshot."I do apologise for that. Honestly. I hope I didn't offend you too greatly," the other man said. Deck's eyes narrowed again as he searched McKindy's face, but the expression was more studious and analysing than anything else. The Charms professor seemed earnest enough, but...
"I have no patience for that pureblood propaganda, and will not have it being forcefed to students here. I may not have authority over the school in general, but I am the head of Teppenpaw, and if I feel that you are overstepping your boundaries I have no issues with approaching the headmaster." Well. That might have come out a bit more harsh than he'd intended. "But apology accepted."
He loosed his arm from the other man's hand and turned an only mildly strained smile on Sadi. "Beg pardon, Sadi, but I think maybe Twitch didn't come out here at all. I'll just go look for him inside, shall I?" He nodded to her in farewell, cast one more glance at McKindy, and (hoping desperately that he didn't get lost again, as coming back to ask directions from the new professors would somewhat diminish the effect of his dramatic exit) left.\n\n
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Professor Deck
As a matter of fact, I did.
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Professor Deck
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Professor McKindy
December 03, 2006 4:29 PM
Diplomacy 101: Failed by Professor McKindy
Pureblood propaganda?! Forcefed to the students?! Overstepping his boundaries?! Aaron tried to keep on the vaguely friendly expression he was currently wearing, but he was internally boiling. The other man didn't even know him, and yet he assumed that Aaron was just some stuck up pureblooded moron without any knowledge of--oh. He began to feel very distinctly ashamed of himself for reacting like that. Looking it from Declan's point of view (he was obviously either a halfblood or Muggleborn, no self-respecting pureblood would have taken such offense to something that common), the reaction made sense. A little overboard, perhaps. But it still made sense.Turning a mildly confused smile towards the remaining professor, Aaron shrugged, as if claiming he had no idea what had just occured. "Sorry about that," he said. "Professor Declan and I just had a small disagreement to settle." Over the new professor's shoulder, his gaze coolly followed Declan as he disappeared from sight. He would have to apologise again, probably. Something he mightn't be able to do without getting angry over the Astronomy professor's overreaction. For the time being, however, he turned a charming smile towards the other professor and awaited an introduction. \n\n
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Professor McKindy
Diplomacy 101: Failed
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 03, 2006 4:48 PM
Take two by Professor Powell
“Wotcher, Sadi,” Declan replied to her greeting. “You haven’t seen a gray cat with a glove on its head, have you? We were just looking for him.”Well if they were looking for the cat, that would at least explain why their knees were dirty, but not why the tension in the air was thicker than custard. Sadi opened her mouth to say sorry, but she hadn’t seen the animal in question, when her attention was distracted by the other gentleman present.
“Good morning m’lady. I’m Aaron McKindy, the new charms professor. I don’t believe we’ve met. If you will excuse me a moment, I will be absolutely delighted to properly make your acquaintance,” he said.
Sadi nodded, and tried not to stare as the two gentlemen had a hushed conversation out of her earshot. Judging by their mannerisms, however, it didn’t seem to be a friendly chat. Sadi was beginning to wish she had stayed inside, and hadn’t interrupted this discussion, or whatever it had been. Only just about resisting the strong urge to turn right around and go back the way she had come, Sadi waited until Declan drew away from McKindy, and she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.
"Beg pardon, Sadi, but I think maybe Twitch didn't come out here at all. I'll just go look for him inside, shall I?" Professor Chatterjee said, with very little of his characteristic cheerful enthusiasm.
“Okay, good luck,” Sadi said, wishing she could have thought of something more useful to say. She watched Declan leave and turned her attention back to the stranger. “Aaron McKindy,” Sadi said, “I’m Sadi Powell, the Ancient Runes professor. I'm sorry for interrupt just now,” she said, a little anxiously, hoping she hadn’t lost Aaron’s friendship before she’d even acquired it.
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Professor Powell
Take two
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 03, 2006 7:29 PM
I'd love to by Professor McKindy
Aaron nodded at Sadi as she introduced herself. "No need to worry about interuptions," he said smoothly, being very careful to keep the irritation he felt at Declan out of his voice. "We seem to have just been wrapping up our conversation anyway. Ancient Runes, is it? I can't say I did spectacularly well at that as a boy. I've always been better at picking up spoken languages than written"He shrugged, causing the silver dragon on his robes to shift. The motion also caused his bubblehat to tumble off his head. Aaron brought out his wand, flicking it in mild annoyance at the hat, using a nonverbal accio to summon it. He held it, though, not bothering to replace it atop his black hair. Smalltalk it was to be, then.
"I didn't see you at the Feast," he said mildly. "It's quite possibly I merely missed you, though. I met several people, and there are so many more I haven't yet! Sonora certainly has quite the teaching staff."\n\n
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Professor McKindy
I'd love to
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 04, 2006 3:58 PM
Be my guest. by Professor Powell
McKindy seemed to be at ease as he assured Sadi that she hadn’t interrupted anything, so she began to relax again. The charms professor commented on his lack of skill at runes when he was a boy.“It was my favorite,” Sadi said, knowing that her love of her subject would be evident in her voice, as it always was whenever the topic was touched upon. “I did okay in most subjects at school, with the exception of potions.” She pulled a grimace, followed by an easy smile.
“I didn’t see you at the Feast,” Aaron commented, luckily preventing Sadi from starting talking about ancient runes – the poor man would undoubtedly be trying to escape for at least an hour if Sadi got started. Her husband often told her she was obsessive.
“I saw you there,” Sadi replied, tucking a stray piece of brown hair back behind her ear. “Well, I saw your hat anyway. I was right down the other end of the table, quietly settling back in. As you said, there are several staff members at Sonora, and I’m still not used to so many colleagues. How are you settling in so far?”
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Professor Powell
Be my guest.
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 04, 2006 4:43 PM
*starts humming Disney songs* by Professor McKindy
Well, Sadi obviously loved her subject. Aaron had always been considerably better at spoken languages--he spoke some Gaelic and was fluent in Italian--but could appreciate the complexity of those written. The only exception to this rule was Latin, but that was quite similar to Italian. He was rather glad when she didn't continue on about Ancient Runes, but instead moved on to other topics. Aaron had recieved more than enough lectures on that particular topic from his former teacher and wouldn't have liked to live through another. It would have been preferable to making another colleague unhappy with him, though.Laughing as Sadi mentioned seeing his hat at the Feast, Aaron nodded. "Quite well, thank you. Deputy Headmistress Kijewski and I talked a bit about lessons, and I met the new Divinations professor. She's rather young, but seems competant." Now probably wouldn't be the best time to bring up his skepticism about Divinations. The private academy he had attended did not offer it as a class, and although several of his cousins had claimed divinatory skill, Aaron had never believed it. "As for that hat, I'm rather prone to crafting charms, I'm afraid. It's soothing after a long day. The hat is a bit of Transfiguration, though."
Aaron smiled at Sadi. "Are you new this year as well?"\n\n
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Professor McKindy
*starts humming Disney songs*
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 04, 2006 5:38 PM
*joins in* by Professor Powell
Aaron told Sadi he was settling in ‘quite well’ so far, and that he had met Deputy Head Kijewski and the new Divinations professor: “She’s rather young, but seems competent.”“Yes, a lot of the staff members are very young,” Sadi ventured. “I’d never felt old until I came here. With all of the students under eighteen and most of the staff under thirty I feel ancient!” she laughed.
When McKindy mentioned he charmed and transfigured his own clothes, Sadi took a moment to admire his intricate outfit, and felt rather dull in her standard chocolate brown robes. Most of her clothes were earth tones; she worn similar shades during her fieldwork days, and now found them familiar and therefore comforting. “Well your work certainly does pay off,” she complimented, indicating both his hat and robes.
“Are you new this year as well?”
“No,” Sadi replied, “I started last year, same time as Declan.” Sadi mentally slapped herself for mentioning the very person with whom McKindy had just been arguing, she guessed. “But I still consider myself a new-comer. Teaching an elective class makes most of the students strangers to me, anyway,” she said, trying to steer clear of possibly dangerous waters. “The students aren’t bad, though, in my experience.”
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Professor Powell
*joins in*
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 04, 2006 7:58 PM
That's going to be stuck in my head all night... by Professor McKindy
"Does that make me ancient as well?" Aaron asked, teasingly. He was thirty four, which meant that he would be one of the older staff members. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too many that much younger than him. While Aaron didn't mind his age too much, he supposed his vanity, at least, would take umbridge at Time as soon as his hair began turning colours. He nodded in thanks as Sadi complemented his outfit, then examined her as she mentioned Declan, although she quickly moved on to the students."Yes, I suppose that must be a plus, to taking an elective course," Aaron mused. "Only the really serious students take it." he paused a moment, then decided to go on with the rest of his thought. "You came in around the same time as Declan?"
Impressive, that such a new teacher would be made Head of a House. Although his school hadn't had Houses, Aaron was quickly gathering that to be Head of one was to have considerably more power than one did normally. That meant Declan would have to be rather a good teacher. Not to mention very influental, to gain such a status so early. Given that, and the fact that he was Head of Teppenpaw, which seemed to be a very friendly House, Aaron probably would have gotten on quite well with the man. If he hadn't been so explicitly stupid and Declan hadn't overreacted. Perhaps if Declan's motives were made more clear...
"Do you know much about Professor Declan?" Aaron asked Sadi.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
That's going to be stuck in my head all night...
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 05, 2006 3:12 AM
We could do Christmas carols if you'd prefer? by Professor Powell
“Does that make me ancient as well?” Aaron teased. Sadi smiled wryly at him in response. Professor McKindy looked about her nephew’s age, which would make him in his mid-thirties. Nearing fifty herself, Sadi had more than one strand of gray visible amongst the browns of her hair, but she quite liked them, really. They added a certain something to her appearance; perhaps it was merely the illusion of maturity.Sadi had hoped her distraction of mentioning the students had worked, but apparently not. It was just moments before Aaron returned the conversation to the Astronomy professor. Beyond slapping, Sadi was mentally kicking herself for opening her mouth before thinking.
“Do you know much about Professor Declan?” Aaron asked.
Sadi took a moment to ponder using the title Professor followed by a first name before she let the awkwardness of the situation make itself known. She creased her brow before answering, deciding that honestly was the best policy, even if that meant she would stick her foot right in it, whatever it was.
“No,” she said finally, “I don’t know him all that well. He seems friendly enough, and I know a lot of the students like him. He joined them in a snowball fight at midterm,” Sadi remembered. “I haven’t spent much time with him, I’m afraid.” Sadi refrained from asking what the two professors had been discussing when she arrived, at best it was nosy, at worst it was downright rude. Instead she opted for a small smile, and added, “I don’t know any of the staff very well, actually.”
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Professor Powell
We could do Christmas carols if you'd prefer?
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 05, 2006 5:34 AM
Deck's the one with holiday spirit, I'm afraid by Professor McKindy
Aaron prevented himself from gaping in open disbelief as Sadi told him that Declan had been in a snowball fight with students. That was certainly a surprise, especially since he had marked the Astronomy professor as around his own age. But all this talk of Declan was making Sadi uncomfortable, it seemed, at least by the way she thought before answering. Sadi didn't seem to know all that much about him anyway."I was just wondering," Aaron explained, with a shrug. "Professor Declan had some fairly interesting political ideas that I may want to discuss with him at a later date." Providing he could keep his temper with the man. Pureblood propaganda indeed! "And since you don't know many staff members, and neither do I, it seems as if we ought to collaborate on finding good strategies to meeting said." he laughed a bit. "Faculty hunting, perhaps?"
A pity she didn't know more about the staff. It would have done him good to find out more about them before meeting them, especially since he assumed, from Declan's reaction to him, that there were few or no highly discriminatory purebloods, among the staff at least. And if there were, Aaron thought wryly, they were probably headless by now, since the Astronomy professor seemed to have a fairly short temper.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
Deck's the one with holiday spirit, I'm afraid
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 06, 2006 6:21 PM
Deck the Halls etc *winces at poor pun* by Professor Powell
Luckily, Professor McKindy remained casual even Sadi’s slip-up mentioning Professor Chatterjee. In fact, he even laughed when he suggested that perhaps he and Sadi should join forces in trying to get to know their colleagues. “Faculty hunting, perhaps?” he said.Sadi joined in with his laughter. “Perhaps we could hold a tea party?” she suggested, smiling, and only half-joking. Despite the faculty lounge, the teachers rarely managed to find time to socialize with each other. That was one of the many things Sadi missed about her research: the many other field workers sharing ideas and knowledge, then gathering together for meals and socializing often throughout the day. That was how she had met Toma, when they had both been studying runes in Bucharest. Sadi was missing her family, but they had been so supportive of her taking up a teaching position that she knew she had to continue with it, at least for a short while.
However, Sadi was trying not to think about her family right now, she was trying to focus on making friends within the faculty. “So what takes you’re interest when you’re not charming your wardrobe?” Sadi asked Aaron, genuinely interested.
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Professor Powell
Deck the Halls etc *winces at poor pun*
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 09, 2006 7:53 AM
I think I preferred Disney by Professor McKindy
OOC: Sorry it took so long!BIC:
"A tea party?" Aaron said, contemplating the idea. "I would come. I suppose since we've already met each other, that doesn't count, though. Tea is absolutely lovely, though. As for hobbies, I read a bit, cook when I have to, and that's about it. Now I teach as well, if that counts," Aaron shrugged, grinning slightly. "Any activites you would like to confess to?"
Pulling out his wand, he muttered a quick semi-permanent sticking charm and stuck the bubblehat to his head. It shouldn't come off now, and he could talk to Sadi properly. Aaron continued to be amused (and somewhat irritated) as he mentally compared his new position to his last. At the Muggle school where he had been the assistant librarian, he didn't think anybody had talked to him more than once in two years. Here, he had been a part of three conversations in less than twenty four hours. Granted, one had ended with the other person overreacting severely, and the Deputy Head seemed to be rather intimidated by his wardrobe, from what she had said at the feast, but it was still three conversations. Sadi seemed neither intimidated or about to overreact to anything he said, although after Declan's problem, he would definitely be watching what he said and how he said it. Causing problems with his new colleagues was not a high priority.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
I think I preferred Disney
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 10, 2006 1:39 PM
Yeah, you gotta love that mouse. by Professor Powell
Aaron’s list of hobbies was uninspiringly short, comprising only of cooking and reading, but when he turned the question back to Sadi, she had difficultly finding an answer herself. “Any activities you would like to confess to?" McKindy asked.“I enjoy walking,” Sadi replied, uncertain whether or not that really counted as a hobby. Feeling she should add something else, she smiled, and said, “My daughter has coerced me into various activities over the years – painting, modelling, dressmaking – but I’ve never taken a real shining to any of them.” Sadi shrugged. “I’m just not the arty type, I suppose,” she said, and offered Aaron another smile. “I used to dedicate all my free time to runes, now it’s to my family. I guess that’s why I’m often at a loss for things to do while at Sonora,” she said, laughing lightly.
Sadi wondered whether Aaron had any family to speak of. He hadn’t mentioned them yet, and Sadi was hesitant to ask in case she was prying where she wasn’t welcome. She didn’t really know the professor at all, so she wasn’t sure what was safe ground. They seemed to be getting on satisfactorily thus far, and Sadi didn’t want to do or say anything to offend the man and reverse the effects of their conversing.
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Professor Powell
Yeah, you gotta love that mouse.
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 11, 2006 7:57 PM
Dunno...Donald Duck has always been a personal favorite by Professor McKindy
Sadi's list of hobbies was even more pathetic than his own. At least she apparently had the excuse of a child, though. Aaron had enough free time that he should probably have a couple of fairly unique and interesting hobbies, but he had always been lacking in that arena. Even when growing up, he hadn't ever really had that many things to do outside the expected. Aaron had dogs then, though. Maybe he should get a puppy. Or a crup, maybe? That would probably further cement Declan's idea that he was an elitist pureblood. Aaron had never really liked cats, and owls weren't much as pets. Dogs didn't seem to exactly fit into the wizarding animal hierarchy, though."A daughter?" Aaron asked, interested. "How old?" Sadi was obviously much older than himself, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that she was apparently married. Still, he hadn't thought that many teachers here would have much in the manner of family lives. Sonora was a boarding school, after all. \n\n
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Professor McKindy
Dunno...Donald Duck has always been a personal favorite
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Powell
December 14, 2006 4:04 PM
Why doesn't that surprise me? by Professor Powell
“She’s nine, now,” Sadi answered Aaron’s query about her daughter. “Her name is Jera. There’s just the three of us at home: me, Jera and Toma, my husband.” Sadi could tell that she was smiling; talking about her family did that to her. “I miss them when I’m here,” Sadi admitted, “but it’s not too bad. You’ll notice that some weekends I won’t be found here,” she said, referring to the regular visits she made back to her family during term time.Though she was perfectly happy talking about her family - she loved them more than she could express – Sadi had purposely ventured outdoors to find a distraction from thinking about how they weren’t around. Sadi was pleased to have met Aaron, but all of a sudden she felt she wanted to be indoors with a comforting mug of peppermint tea.
“I’m, um, I’m heading back inside now,” Sadi said, gesturing back towards the building with a nod of her head. After a short pause, in which Sadi reflected that she could always drink tea in the company of others, which might stop her feeling so lonely, Sadi smiled at McKindy. “You’re more than welcome to join me for tea, if you like,” she offered.
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Professor Powell
Why doesn't that surprise me?
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Professor Powell
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Professor McKindy
December 14, 2006 5:14 PM
Is that supposed to mean something? by Professor McKindy
Nine year daughter. How irritatingly coincedental. Aaron highly disliked coincedences, especially those such as this. Consequently, he was not at all upset to hear Sadi declare her intent to head back inside. She was quite nice, and had probably saved him from having to duel with Declan, but Aaron was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable around the woman."No thank you," he said, inclining his head slightly. "I think I'll stay out here and look around a bit more. It was nice meeting you." At that, Aaron walked around a corner and commenced wandering through the Gardens. He wasn't concerned about getting lost--his memory was nearly perfect--but perhaps he could find Declan's cat. That would solve things nicely between them, or at least put the problem on its way to being mended. You couldn't exactly curse somebody for returning your cat to you. Besides that, Aaron should probably get back to unpacking soon. Or making lesson plans, or some such thing.
Maybe he would get a dog after all.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
Is that supposed to mean something?
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Professor McKindy
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